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Read the book and feel your burden lighten with every paragraph. When I first read it, I thought: "These guys must be ex-TWI; they really know what it was like!" No. They just know what cults are like. If you really want "release from your prisons," read this book.

Because it denotes a person in a position of trust relationship like a judge or a therapist. It describes the betrayal of the trust that society normally places in a person with those credentials. If you don’t find my example that different than the normal thoroughfare of what you saw, isn’t that even more reason to call out the abuse? Abuse happens in all sorts of churches not just the Way. That book is a good one - The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse - check it out if you want a good read.

Your premise is faulty. As did Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, and the Catholic church. Did God give Billy Graham a "big job" (Other than Word over the World? Did he get special revelation as to the nature of the bible a la PLAF?)? Oral Roberts? The Catholic church? I'm looking at the context and all I see is someone trying to rationalize why a just God would do an unjust thing. (Was it just for God to allow all those women to be abused? Was it just for all those people to cash there own check because Saint Vic convinced them they were born of the wrong seed?) Great blessings from PLAF? You mean like being able to say John the Baptist was a weirdo?

I don't doubt that - let's make that 66. PFAL was a form of hypnosis

Why defend or promote Wierwille? For all of the Pharisees behind the scenes I think it boils down to sunk cost. If you have held a certain high position in a cult for 20 years, a self preservation urge kicks in, and even subconsciously they will fight kicking and screaming to hold on to that caste system placement which has them living to a certain standard. For Staff the huge distinction between a minimum wage follower and the top salaries positions are how they control keeping a one way conversation and flow of information exactly like all the dictator countries do. The fear of facing disgrace, loss of position, possible loss of a job or demotion to a lesser job drive these Pharisees and keep them from looking beyond their little hamster cage they have built for themselves. This also keeps them from disbanding the Way giving back the money and starting anything new rather than becoming a worldwide old cult wineskin and whitewash society like they have. The system of error backed by the doctrinal error of household versus body of Christ has had them setting up inner circles of Pharisees throughout the ministry’s history. When people have others treating them like the suggestion of a leader is tantamount to an order the ego inflates to an out of control state and the leader becomes paranoid. Et tu Brute? Then the next stage is the excommunication edicts which have not changed since Martin Luther faced them ages ago. Indulgences, get your indulgences. For a mere 20 pounds you can drink all you want commit adultery and be forgiven. Then you can yell and scream about conspiracy theories and devil spirits and make examples of people. Yes the Pharisees golden parachute is the largest reason for defending or promoting Wierwille. And yes a large part of the gold is the golden pedestal on which they live their life and interact with brainwashees.

I maintain that it was a form of hypnosis ... not unlike that used by demagogues in contemporary or past times.